• Says it recruited 5,530 teachers, equipped schools with ICT, CCTV cameras, others in four years
• Oyebanji rewards outstanding teachers with N70.5 million
• I’ll put Oyo teachers first, transform education in 100 days, says Alli

Ekiti State Government, yesterday, said that it recruited no fewer than 5,530 teachers into its public primary and secondary schools in the last four years.

The government gave the breakdown of those recruited to include 430 teachers into the Teaching Service Commission in 2022, 500 in 2023/2024, 1,600 in 2025/2026, SUBEB 1,500 in 2022/2023 session and another 1,500 in 2026.

This was just as the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, gave out N70.5 million to outstanding teachers across the 16 local councils of the state.

The beneficiaries, who were recognised for outstanding performance and commitment to their responsibilities, were drawn from public primary and secondary schools, private schools and other administrative cadres in the education sector.

Oyebanji, who spoke yesterday during an event to mark World Teachers’ Day 2026 held at the Ekitiparapo Pavilion, Ado-Ekiti, disclosed that all the 203 public secondary schools have ICT laboratories, Interactive Boards, 5KVA inverter, while 125 of them have Internet facilities.

MEANWHILE, the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State, Sharafadeen Alli, has pledged to prioritise teachers’ welfare and introduce reforms in the education sector within his first 100 days in office if elected governor in 2027.

Alli made the pledge in a goodwill message to teachers during the 2026 World Teachers’ Day celebration, promising improved welfare packages, faster promotion processes, better working conditions and increased investment in school infrastructure.

Oyebanji said: “Old school buildings were renovated/rehabilitated in all the schools and perimeter fencing was provided for 54 public secondary schools. Additional 48 public secondary schools were provided with CCTV cameras and 85 more schools will have theirs this month.

“We are committed to regular payment of salary, disbursement of revolving car and housing loans for eligible secondary school teachers and I assure you that we will continue to prioritise the welfare packages for all the teachers in the state’s public schools.”

The governor, however, thanked the teachers for their continued support, saying: “As a government, we appreciate the central place of teachers in the education value chain, and we shall always be committed to making this celebration worthwhile and memorable.

“I want to sincerely appreciate the teachers for their unwavering support since the inception of the administration. Their commitment and dedication to duty had enhanced and improved teaching and learning outcomes.”

The state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Lawrence Adedeji, and his counterpart in the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools (ASUSS), who was represented by Austin Bamidele, also lauded Oyebanji for his commitment to the welfare of teachers and development of the education sector.

They appealed to the governor to fulfil his promises on the payment of teachers’ outstanding emoluments and welfare packages, stressing that the celebration of teachers should go beyond a single day in October.

Alli said his proposed administration would introduce improved car and housing loans, rural hardship allowances and a teachers’ housing and mortgage scheme, with priority given to underserved areas.

The governorship candidate also promised to clear backlogs relating to promotions and inter-zonal transfers, among others.